The Films of the 70th Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival is indisputably the most renowned of the international film festivals. Controversy, observations on the state of the film industry, and fashion all play a role in this pop-cum-esoteric gathering for two weeks in the French seaside city of Cannes. Directors, producers, and critics vie to attend the festival and mere attendance is a true honor. While we are not able to attend the festival this year, we’re hoping that this guide to the Festival provides readers with insights into the films, figures, and trends relevant to this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

To present profiles of a number of the films at Cannes, we synthesize information from the press conference along with the synopsis of the film, material in the film’s press kit, actors’ photocall and red carpet appearances, and the overall critical reception. Each page of this article corresponds to a day of the Festival. We include a table of contents below, as well as noting the films that premiered during that day, for your convenience. The final page of the article includes closing notes on the festival as well as a list of the In Competition prize winners.

Originally a music critic, Alex began his work with film criticism after watching the films of Stanley Kubrick and Ingmar Bergman for the first time. From these films, Alex realized that there was much more artistry and depth to filmmaking than he had previously thought. His favorite contemporary directors include Michael Haneke, Paul Thomas Anderson, Richard Linklater, and Terrence Malick.